Prospect Info: Blues 2024-2025 Prospect Thread

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So Stancl is a future first line star and Fischer is a future #1 D according to you? Next week Kos will be a top 6 guy after a string of a few good games
I don't think I've seen this poster make either of those claims, and as others have pointed out, at least they are watching the games and provide information and opinion. I would be interested in seeing your take on these players, if you have one, and the basis you are using for your opinion that suggests Stancl has no chance to be a top line/Top 6 player and that Fischer has no chance to be a top pairing defenseman.
 
It just seems like he always has time and space to shoot. What happens as he progresses to the next level? Can he continue without time and space?
So, the question is: How much of that space is/can he create in his own?

Everything is coming together nicely for Fischer the last few months after that late start due to injury recovery. If you recall, I was a big fan of his prior to the draft last year. It's easy to forget that he's only a few days from being first time eligible this year. The defensive game has become more consistent. The physical game has become more consistent. He's being more aggressive offensively. The shot has become a huge weapon for him. He's got a really heavy one timer from the right side and he's letting it rip. I believe that there is a good chance that he's one of the best defenders in the OHL next season.
Like to know where he would fall in this year's draft. I could see top 15 or better.
 


Thought this was an interesting answer from Dvorsky. Good role models and you can see some of their qualities in his game. If he can get stronger and improve his edgework further I think he can be a puck protection beast like Sid.
 
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Thought this was an interesting answer from Dvorsky. Good role models and you can see some of their qualities in his game. If he can get stronger and improve his edgework further I think he can be a puck protection beast like Sid.

This was another funny one. While he's a kid, wouldn't surprise me if he has the personality of a vet.

 
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This was another funny one. While he's a kid, wouldn't surprise me if he has the personality of a vet.


Well now I need to know. Is Kaskimaki annoying or just smell bad? 🤣

I found this answer interesting:


Bitsy’s Army was started by Will Bitten in Des Moines. The fact they’re still doing it even after he left for the KHL is awesome. I assume his brother Sam is now technically the one in charge of it but that was Will all the way. Great guy. Won’t be an NHLer but an awesome person.
 
Tomas Mrsic - 43 GP 29 G 39 A 68 Pts

18 years old - is he legit?
There are reasons to be concerned that his game won’t translate well to pro hockey but 68 pts in 43 games is simply legit. And he’s 18 so has another year of Jr eligibility after this one too. So by the time 2026-27 rolls around and he turns pro, yeah, we may actually have something. Certainly a guy to keep an eye on.
 
Why rag on him for actually watching the games and providing his input? I’m pretty sure he’s stated what he believes certain players’ ceilings or potential are based on their play as of late.
Because its obnoxious homerism. These are fringe prospects that will be lucky to even play in the NHL at all (which for where there were picked is an accomplishment in itself). I was mostly messing around but this should be a realistic assessment of our prospects. Stancl was 1/2 a point per game last year in the J20 and barely above a PPG in the dub as a D+2. this guy says if that player adds a half a step he's our best prospect? Just not a logical take IMO

I don't think I've seen this poster make either of those claims, and as others have pointed out, at least they are watching the games and provide information and opinion. I would be interested in seeing your take on these players, if you have one, and the basis you are using for your opinion that suggests Stancl has no chance to be a top line/Top 6 player and that Fischer has no chance to be a top pairing defenseman.
I will bet my house neither of those outcomes occur
 
today I learned there are people here who don't realize that the "likes" system didn't come around until the mid 2010s

also it's one thing to disagree but to disagree with a deliberate distortion of what I have expressed about these prospects is pitiful, it shows you have zero chops
 
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today I learned there are people here who don't realize that the "likes" system didn't come around until the mid 2010s

also it's one thing to disagree but to disagree with a deliberate distortion of what I have expressed about these prospects is pitiful, it shows you have zero chops

Don’t worry man, I appreciate your input. I learn a lot about our prospects from you and Turnbull.
 
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I appreciate it, but look at Mortyest of Mortys here to degrade the atmosphere.

Let Morty tell you about the games

My mom and dad taught me when I was young that if you have nothing nice to say, just keep your f***ing mouth shut. Words of wisdom that I try to live by.
 
Because its obnoxious homerism. These are fringe prospects that will be lucky to even play in the NHL at all (which for where there were picked is an accomplishment in itself). I was mostly messing around but this should be a realistic assessment of our prospects. Stancl was 1/2 a point per game last year in the J20 and barely above a PPG in the dub as a D+2. this guy says if that player adds a half a step he's our best prospect? Just not a logical take IMO


I will bet my house neither of those outcomes occur
Have you watched either Fischer or Stancl this year? They have each made large strides and both look like future NHL guys with potential to be really good players. Now maybe they only become fringe NHL players, but to say they can’t become stars just bc they weren’t high draft picks seems rather myopic.
 
Have you watched either Fischer or Stancl this year? They have each made large strides and both look like future NHL guys with potential to be really good players. Now maybe they only become fringe NHL players, but to say they can’t become stars just bc they weren’t high draft picks seems rather myopic.
Didn't say that at all. Sure they can become stars but historically players picked in those slots have a very small % of becoming stars. Its just a fact. These guys haven't played a period of pro hockey yet so I think we should temper things a bit even if they've exceeded expectations
 
You can tell who looks at draft position to make projections and who actually watches the players, it's really obvious.

I agree with 9's here, this is our most complete D prospect right now and I really love Theo Lindstein.

Fischer has everything you could want. He's big, he's mean, he has great mobility, he can play tons of minutes in all usage, he's composed to the point it's obvious he's on another level from the junior players he's currently playing against and he handles the puck better than most forwards. He's just now figuring out he can score goals and he's done quite a bit of that lately but the rest of his offensive game is really polished to the point you'd think his dad was a director of player development or something. His weaknesses I identified when watching shift by shifts of several games last season was that he was allowing forwards inside position too often and was in general not assertive enough in aggressively attacking puck carriers. That has been turned entirely around this season where he now routinely shuts down top OHL stars 1v1.

I've mentioned it before but I highly recommend reading through the Sarnia Sting thread on the OHL subforum if you want takes from those that watch him every game. It's a great read and one that will open your eyes as to how good a pick the Blues made. He was my favorite '24 pick for sure on draft day and I'm still startled by how quickly he addressed his biggest weaknesses.
 
Dvorsky snipes Askarov in the All Star Game!


The power in Tarasenko’s release was what made his shot so special; deceptive in how much power he could generate with little movement, or obvious weight transfer. Prior to the shoulder injuries, there have been very few players with remotely comparable power. Had he come up 5-10 years later, and been exposed to the shift of widening release angles, and focus on release speed, he’s probably still a 30+ goal scorer.

Dvorsky doesn’t quite have the same power, though still very notable power, IMO, but his accuracy is far superior to Vladdy’s, and most of
his peers. Combine that with already NHL elite release mechanics - there’s a lot of reason to be excited even if he’s not the fleetest of foot.

I haven’t seen Snuggerud’s shot in person - but from what I have seen, it’s far more a force of nature that’s directed at a general quadrant that he rarely misses the mark on, and just flat out makes goalies look dumb.

Im excited to see which one of them ends up being the big game and moment guy like Vladdy was. At least, I hope one of them can be that.

Relating back to the broader discussion here, this is the only spot -that I’m aware of anyway- that Blues prospects are discussed in detail by people making the time to watch prospects. In my experience, that makes them (us) more than just Blues super fans, it makes them hockey fans. That broader lens generally creates a more discerning eye. That doesn’t mean free from bias, but, we’re on a Blues prospects thread. If we dont dump enthusiasm and optimism into what we see, this place just becomes the shallow, cynical cesspool that the other sites, media, and beat writers have become. The cup has affected aspects of this fandom that I expected but didn’t fully appreciate.

The only place on the internet that championed any semblance of hope or belief in April/May of 2018 was here.

…people employed by the team don’t count.

Let’s challenge and be discerning, but remember that this collection of assholes, nutjobs, and know-it-alls was largely correct in their assessment of our cup core. Much tighter pants around here when we discussed Petro, Schwartz, Vladdy, Parayko and Thomas than Rattie, Schmaltz, and Perunovich.

Not directing this at any one poster or interaction specifically - just wanting to share that long winded reminder as we enter into a miserable array of noise and commentary as this unfinished product is judged for missing the playoffs.
 
Stancl just had a standout WJC, so it's not simply an uptick in junior production that has people excited.
To be fair, the WJC is still a junior tournament. A much higher level of competition than major junior or the USHL, but junior nonetheless. I bring that up because one concern about older/bigger guys with junior success is that it won't translate in the pros when they are no longer the best physical specimen on the ice. I'm not saying that is the case with Stancl and my eyes don't see a guy who is only having success because he can use his man strength to bully younger/smaller guys. But the WJC is still full of guys with lots of room to grow physically. Being 6'3" and 200 pounds still gives you a much larger advantage in the WJC than in the pros.

FWIW, I was more impressed with Dvorsky than Stancl at the WJC. That's far from a knock on Stancl and the fact that he is in the conversation with our top tier prospects is incredible. Going from 4th round pick to a conversation about being near the top of our prospect pool in 18 months is amazing development. As a whole, I am overjoyed by the early returns of the last 2 Blues draft classes. But for Stancl and a lot of other guys, we are still talking about production/development in leagues/situations that are a very long way from the NHL.
 
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Stancl's team is getting wrecked, since the WJC they are 2-7-2 since he returned. There was the 5 pt game in the win against Prince George and the win in Seattle I attended. He's back in Seattle next week. Tonight and tomorrow his team is in Victoria, who just beat them 11-1 in Kelowna. It was 11-0 at one point and it has been ugly to absorb. He is still getting 5 shots a game and he's ringing a crossbar almost nightly but he is playing an absolute f-ton of ugly minutes.

The Blues have hit big on some prospects who have late birthdays such as Robert Thomas, and Fischer is like that. I cannot imagine Aitcheson being drafted before him right now for example. Aitcheson is 12 days older than Fischer.

In this upcoming draft there's 6'5" D Peyton Kettles who is #26 on NA Central Scouting list and he is only two weeks from going in the 2026 draft. Swift Current, WHL, need to watch him more. I am not much a fan of Fiddler, here's an example of why:




Lindstein is steady eddie not flashy minute muncher but he's on total cruise control to the pros
Fischer is the exciting one, I mean this is the real wild card. Very young in his draft class,
Burns is a 4-6D man sheriff who just had a real nice game against Misa
Ralph is a project that seems on track now with a ways to go
Jiricek is a two-way defenseman who needs work and time and reps. You can see flashes but it's not all there yet. He is aggressive offensively sometimes & relying on his recovery speed to get back on defense. For example watch this clip.




I'm more than happy to feed this niche interest directly with people, and it could go either way. Right now it looks real doubtful.
 
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Stancl's team is getting wrecked, since the WJC they are 2-7-2 since he returned. There was the 5 pt game in the win against Prince George and the win in Seattle I attended. He's back in Seattle next week. Tonight and tomorrow his team is in Victoria, who just beat them 11-1 in Kelowna. It was 11-0 at one point and it has been ugly to absorb. He is still getting 5 shots a game and he's ringing a crossbar almost nightly but he is playing an absolute f-ton of ugly minutes.

The Blues have hit big on some prospects who have late birthdays such as Robert Thomas, and Fischer is like that. I cannot imagine Aitcheson being drafted before him right now for example. Aitcheson is 12 days older than Fischer.

In this upcoming draft there's 6'5" D Peyton Kettles who is #26 on NA Central Scouting list and he is only two weeks from going in the 2026 draft. Swift Current, WHL, need to watch him more. I am not much a fan of Fiddler, here's an example of why:


View attachment 972234

Lindstein is steady eddie not flashy minute muncher but he's on total cruise control to the pros
Fischer is the exciting one, I mean this is the real wild card. Very young in his draft class,
Burns is a 4-6D man sheriff who just had a real nice game against Misa
Ralph is a project that seems on track now with a ways to go
Jiricek is a two-way defenseman who needs work and time and reps. You can see flashes but it's not all there yet. He is aggressive offensively sometimes & relying on his recovery speed to get back on defense. For example watch this clip.


View attachment 972236

I'm more than happy to feed this niche interest directly with people, and it could go either way. Right now it looks real doubtful.
Big kettles fan. Getting overlooked a bit. Very young. Do not like Fiddler the more I watch him.
 

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